The promised second of the two playable demos for Call For Heroes: Pompolic Wars is now available, offering another sample of the upcoming fantasy-themed third-person action game. "The Amazon Girl" demo, offering the chance to sample the game's second playable character, is available from 3D Downloads, ComputerGames.ro, FileFront, FanGaming, FileShack, and Gamer's Hell. The first demo was released three weeks ago (story), offering the chance to shoot down the walls of heartache by playing as The Warrior.

Though already revealed in a well-publicized (story) trailer (story), Activision and Infinity Ward now officially announce Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and confirming the upcoming modernized continuation of the shooter series that began with World War II will return to its PC roots this time around after a console-only CoD3. Here's word on the game, which is due for Windows, Xbox 360, and PS3 this fall:

Santa Monica, CA – May 25, 2007 – Grab your flashbangs and prepare to break cover for the most intense and cinematic Call of Duty® experience ever as Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Infinity Ward today confirmed development of Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare™. The new action-thriller from the award-winning creators of the Call of Duty series will arm gamers with the most advanced and powerful arsenal of modern day firepower to fight a new war in the world’s most treacherous hotspots.

“Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is the most intense, visceral title we’ve ever created,” says Jason West, co-studio head and project lead, Infinity Ward. “The single player campaign is a well-paced, non-stop action experience. As the story unfolds, the player is introduced to new gameplay at every turn – one moment you are fast-roping from your Blackhawk helicopter after storming into the war zone with an armada of choppers, the next you are a sniper, under concealment, in a Ghillie suit miles behind enemy lines, the next you are engaging hostiles from an AC-130 gunship thousands of feet above the battlefield.”

Mixed with explosive action, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare also delivers amazing special effects, including use of depth of field, rim-lighting, character self-shadowing, real time post-processing, texture streaming as well as physics-enabled effects to enlist players into the most photo-realistic gaming experience. Combined with Call of Duty’s award-winning audio design, players will face war as never before.

In addition to single player, Infinity Ward has deployed a dedicated team from the start to deliver a new level of depth to multiplayer. Building on the hit Call of Duty 2 online experience, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s new multiplayer is set to provide the community an addictive and accessible experience to gamers of all levels.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is in development for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Windows® PC. The title is scheduled for release this fall and has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

Players anxious to answer the call can visit www.charlieoscardelta.com for additional information and exclusive updates.

Seems pretty quiet, with a lot of folks obviously getting an early jump on the weekend, so since MrsBlue is home early as well, I think we'll take advantage and go grab a bite or something.

Halo 2 delay due to "partial nudity" on EuroGamer offers an explanation for the latest delay to the Windows Vista edition of Halo 2, saying some partial nudity was included in the production code. The "problem" will be solved by an automatic update upon logging in to Windows Live, and there is also a manual patch in the downloads area on the Halo 2 for Windows Vista Website. Here's the Microsoft statement about all this:

"It has come to our attention that an unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity was included in our initial production of Halo 2 for Windows Vista.

"As such, we have updated the initial game packaging at retailers with a label, so customers are aware before purchasing the game... This packaging will only be labelled for the initial run of games; subsequent shipments will not include the content."

Cybersports And Monumental Games Announce Football Superstars And Promises The Most Realistic Football Game There Has Ever Been announces an upcoming MMO simulating the world of football, known in the US as soccer. The Football Superstars Website is online, promising the game will go live in spring 2008, and offering beta signups that can net participants a free in-game item. Here's the announcement, which, for some reason, is dated over three weeks ago:

London, UK. 3rd May 2007 – CyberSports today announced its arrival as the industry’s newest and most innovative games publisher. CyberSports’ mission will be to publish world-class global, massively multi-player online (MMO) sports games using leading-edge technology.

Malcolm Clark, CEO of CyberSports, simultaneously announced details of the company’s first title, Football SuperStars, which promises to deliver a unique football game experience. Football SuperStars is being created in collaboration with Nottingham based developer Monumental Games, led by former Climax Online Studio Head Rik Alexander.

An online MMO game for the PC, Football SuperStars will allow players to meet within a utopian soccer-styled virtual world and take part in 3, 5, 7 and 11-a-side football matches. Players will take control of a single footballer and will interact on and off the pitch living the football superstar lifestyle whilst pursuing fame, glory and success, striving to join the best clubs, compete at the highest level and progress within the game through skill and sporting prowess. The player will exist in a persistent football-themed world and be able to join or form and manage their own teams and careers whilst engaging in various leagues, competitions, events and tournaments.

“The MMO is the perfect platform for team sports games,” said Malcolm Clark, CEO of CyberSports. “This is the focus that has enabled us to bring authenticity and real competition to a football game for the first time, by playing against real people instead of AI. Participants pit their skills against those of others in an MMOG where everyone knows the rules. Breath-taking design, a brilliant team and world-class technology has produced a game with lasting appeal targeted at a huge global audience. We’re all big football fans here and it shows.”

Rik Alexander, CEO of Monumental Games, added “Football SuperStars will capture both the magic of the beautiful game on the pitch and also to bring football lifestyle elements like fame, fortune and glory to the table. Football already has great communities and fan bases and we’re hoping to capture that passion and bring it together in a virtual world where players can literally live, breathe and eat football.”

• Splinter Cell: Conviction
  The Splinter Cell: Conviction Q&A on HEXUS.gaming is a very brief chat with Mathieu Ferland about the next installment in the stealth Splinter Cell series: "The game is created and developed by previous SC’s team in Ubisoft Montreal’s studio. Once SCCT was completed, the team started the conception and R&D for Conviction. The benefits of working with a team having such a strong experience in regard to Splinter Cell’s philosophy is high. For the first time, all multiplayer and online features are being completely developed in Montreal. Also, this experience is precious as we are changing some core game play mechanics but wanted to keep the true spirit of the franchise."
• TimeShift
  TimeShift Reborn: Competing in the Post-Unreal Engine 3 World on IGN.Au is a talk with Kyle Peschel about Saber Interactive's 4D first-person shooter: "Previously the game used Meqon which was an ideal solution at the time (they are the physics system that SAAB uses I'm told) but we needed to go beyond those options now that we have dialled up the realism. The biggest difference? Control. Previously when you shot a guy with a rocket launcher he would gib into little pieces. Now, not only does he gib, but you'll see his wrist still flopping around attached to his forearm, or his entrails dancing behind his torso as it flies through the air. We reworked the vehicles to use the new physics and the player collision as well. Why? Because we can."
• Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising
  The Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising Q&A Part Two on GamersInfo.Net continues to converse with Chris McKibbin about Perpetual's upcoming MMORPG: "One of the things we're going to find out over time is just how much we scale this. The limitations are two-fold. It's based upon performance of systems and it controllability - it's the fun factor. We don't know. We're as excited as anybody to figure out over time it will evolve because the idea of having multiple groups turn into a character's army battling another character's army - that idea is a really powerful one. I don't how close we'll get to that; it's really predicated by those two things. But, it's what we'll be working towards. I think over time we'll come close to realizing that."
• Fury
  The Fury Q&A on TenTonHammer talks with Mike Hampden about the upcoming hack-and-slash RPG: "We plan to launch with a considerable amount of customization options during creation which will be augmented by in-game NPCs that offer additional customization options – for a price. By doing things this way we can make certain hair-styles, colors, etc. prestigious amongst our player-base."
• Neverwinter Nights 2
  The Neverwinter Nights 2 Team Q&A #2 on RPG Vault asks more group questions of the developers of the D&D RPG sequel.

• Fury on IGN.Au.

• Gaming PCs vs. Consoles Dell-Gateway Win, Sony Loses.

• 'Forza Motorsport 2' Races Into Living Rooms on Xbox 360 Worldwide.
• The Next Evolution of Top Selling Xbox LIVE Arcade Masterpiece Geometry Wars Comes to Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
• Award-winning composer and music producer Michael McCann scores Tom Clancy's EndWar cinematic trailer from UbiSoft.
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga Announced.

• British spend more on mobiles than on internet and telephone combined.
• Nissan car keys not happy around phones.
• New screen tech from Sony & NEC.
• Nokia's anti-lightning phone.

• Coalition Pushes for US Broadband Plan.
• Third of bloggers 'risk the sack'.
• Online retailing 'surging ahead'.

• Court Ruling Impacts Liability For User-Generated Content.
• Lancashire Criminals Locked-Up For Amassing Thousands From Illegally Copied Games.
• Gambling Site Pleads Guilty in U.S. Case (registration required).
• 'Best Buy' Lawsuit Says 'Bait-n-Switch'.
• EU sets new digital media rules.

• EU probes Google over privacy concerns.
• E-mail Hoaxes: Old Stories in New Packaging.
• Backing for tool to battle spam.

• Bookworm Deluxe! on Gameworld Network.
• Colin McRae: DIRT Demo on Gameworld Network.
• Hans Christian Anderson: The-Ugly-Prince-Duckling on 2404.Org.
• Infernal on YouGamers.
• Shrek: The Third on GameZone.
• Spider-Man 3 on Gaming Heaven.
• Test Drive Unlimited on Out of Eight.

• Albatron GeForce 8600 GT 256MB Video Card on TheTechLounge.
• Antec P182 Case on XSReviews.co.uk.
• APEVIA X-QPACK2 Aluminum Case on ViperLair.
• ASUS P5N-E SLI (nForce 650i) Motherboard on Phoronix.
• ASUS P5K Deluxe WiFi Edition Motherboard on HEXUS.net.
• ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT Video Card Gaming Performance on X-bit labs.
• Creative Zen Stone 1GB Media Player on TrustedReviews.
• ECS NF650iSLIT-A Motherboard on Phoronix.
• Lian-Li PC-A08 Classical Series Case on Hardware Logic.
• Lowepro Mini Trekker Aw Camera Pack on ThinkComputers.org.
• Foxconn GeForce 8600 GT OC Video Card on AMDZone.
• HD Guard Pro on Barry's Rigs 'n Reviews.
• Mapower USB 2.0 + eSATA 3.5" External Enclosure on Big Bruin.
• Netgear ProSafe DGFV338 Router on BIOS.
• Nexus NX-8060 600W True Power Modular PSU on TweakTown.
• Noctua NF-S12 120mm & NF-R8 80mm Silent Case Fans on Tweaknews.net.
• NZXT Duet Case on Overclockers Club.
• OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 SLi-Ready Edition RAM on Modders-Inc.
• OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 Reaper RAM on DriverHeaven.
• P35 Motherboard Roundup on Extreme Tech.
• Plantronics Pulsar 260 Bluetooth Headset on Legit Reviews.
• Puget Liquid Cooled Gaming Computer on 3dGameMan.
• Synology Cube Station CS407e Enclosure on Legion Hardware.

• EA/Mythic Unveils New Updates For Dark Age Of Camelot With The Release Of Patch 1.89…
• Top 5 first-person shooter weapons. Thanks Neutronbeam…
• K2 Network Announces Exclusive V.I.P Beta For Sword Of The New World Granado Espada…
• Turbo Squid Officially Launches GameFlood, Unites Developers And Gamers Under Mod And Map Making Marketplace…
• Survey Reveals Playing Games at Work May Boost Productivity…
• Hidden images in StarCraft II trailer…
• The Sims coming to the big screen, logic be damned!…

Besides being Towel Day, today also kicks off the Memorial Day weekend here in the US, serving as an unofficial launch of summer, and an occasion to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by so many members of the armed services. We don't have any elaborate weekend-spanning plans here, but we do have a couple of things in the works. We also finished off the last of this winter's batch of chili last night, so I need to pick a peck of peppers and get to work soon.

Memorial Links!	Thanks Ant.
Stories:	Study: JFK lone-gunman evidence 'not a slam dunk'. Ape escapes, goes on 3-hour rampage.
Media:	MXC - Top 25 Most Painful Eliminations. Homer Simpson For President (Top Ten List).